Mortar box stand



Feb. 14, 1967 w. E. LOMKER 3,304,040

MORTAR BOX STAND Filed Sept. 1, 1964 FIG. I

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INVENTOR WERNER E. LCM/(ER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,304,040 MORTAR BOX STAND Werner E. Lomker, East Orange, N.J., assignor to James J. Boyle, Caldwell, NJ. Filed Sept. 1, 1964, Ser. No. 393,497 3 Claims. (Cl. 248-450) This invention relates to stands or supports for motar tops or boxes and, more particularly, to one which is foldable when not in use so as to be easily carried or stored.

Heretofore it has been the practice of using hollow concrete blocks for holding motar tops or boxes, used in brick laying and like work, at the distance above the ground required in accordance with the conventional practice. As is well known, concrete blocks are heavy, and considerable effort is required to move them around.

In accordance with my invention, I have provided a stand or support for such mortar tops or boxes made from strips of metal. The completed stand involves a generally rectangular, horizontally-disposed frame supported by U-shaped legs which fold thereunder when not in use, to form a compact, generally flat structure which is easily carried. When set up, the legs are prevented from swinging outwardly from the position of support.

Such a stand serves to support a top or box for holding mortar at the distance required above the floor or ground when being used. The stand is of such a size that the bottom portion of the mortar box fits within the top or rectangular portion of the stand, holding it at the proper height.

An object of my invention is to provide a stand which is readily set up in position for supporting a mortar box and which, when not in use, can be folded with the parts in overlapping relationship to produce a readily-carried, generally flat structure.

Another object of my invention is to provide a stand for mortar boxes formed of strips of cold rolled steel and wherein the means limiting the swinging of the legs from supporting position are lugs slit therefrom and adapted to engage the frame supported by said legs at the extreme outer supporting positions.

A further object of my invention is to provide a mortar box stand consisting of a rectangular metal frame and two U-shaped portions forming legs, with their free end portions pivoted to the frame so that they may stand either in supporting position or be swung to overlapping relationship to provide a generally fiat, easily-carried structure.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken with the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and do not define the scope or limits of the invention, reference being had for the latter purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote like parts in the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan of a mortar box stand embodying my invention, when set up to mortar-box-supporting position.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the stand of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of the stand, when folded to a generally flat position for carrying.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the U-shaped supporting member of the stand from the arms of which the stop lugs project from the outer surfaces of said arms away from one another.

FIGURE 5 is a detailed side elevational view of the pivotable part of one of the arms of the other U-shaped supporting member, showing the lug struck out from the inner surface of said arm for holding the member in frame-supporting position.

FIGURE 6 is an edge elevational view of the same part of the arm, to show the lug viewed in a direction at right angles tothat of FIGURE 5.

Referring to the drawings in detail, there is shown one embodiment of my mortar box stand, generally designated 11. In said embodiment, the stand comprises a generally square or rectangular frame 12, desirably formed of metal strips. While it is possible to make this frame of a single strip bent around to the desired rectangular form, with slightly rounded corners, and the meeting ends welded together, yet I find it preferable to make the frame of two U-shaped members, designated 13 and 14, with their meeting ends welded together, while lying in the same plane, as at 15 and 16.

The frame 12 is supported on members 17 and 18, each desirably formed of strip metal like the frame, bent to U-shape, that is, each with arms or legs 31 connected by a portion or cross member 32 united to the normally bottom ends thereof along small curved portions and with the free or normally upper end portions of said legs pivotally connected to the frame 12 as by rivets 19, 21, 22 and 23. The rivets 19 and 22 connect the free end parts of the leg 17 to the lefthand parts of the members 13 and 14, respectively, of the frame 12. The rivets 21 and 23 connect the free end parts of the leg 18 to the righthand parts of the members 13 and 14, respectively, of the frame 12.

In order to prevent the members 17 and 18 from swinging outward beyond the frame-supporting position illustrated in FIGURE 2, each arm portion thereof near its free end has a lug 24 slit and bent therefrom near the end which is apertured, as at 25, to receive one of the pivoting rivets 19, 21, 22 and 23. Each lug is of sufficient strength and bent to a suifieient extent so that, when the stand is set up, it engages the under surface of the frame 12, as shown most clearly in FIGURE 2, and holds the supporting members rigidly in the downwardly and outwardly extending positions of FIGURE 2. When so extended, the mortar box 26, shown in dotted lines, see the Daily Patent No. 2,554,616, dated May 29, 1951,

showing such a box, may have its lower portion fit within and depend below the frame and its upper portion disposed thereabove, as illustrated.

When it is desired to move the stand 11 to another position, the mortar box 26 is taken therefrom, the members 17 and 18 swung toward one another, as indicated by the arrows 27 and 28, to the collapsed position illustrated in FIGURE 3, where the frame becomes a relatively narrow, flat structure readily transported from one place to another.

Although I do not wish to be limited to the exact dimensions, yet I desirably form all the parts of my stand of cold rolled steel x in section and of lengths later dislosed. The frame, of course, is formed so that, when it is set up or in the position of FIGURE 2, its longer transverse dimension is vertical and the rivets 19, 21, 22 and 23 pass horizontally therethrough and through the free end portions of the legs, that is, across their narrower dimensions. The longer transverse dimension of the legs is sufficient to allow for the slitting of the lugs 24 therefrom without undesired weakening. Said lugs, of course, lie at the proper positions below the bottom edge of the frame 12 so that, when they engage said frame, they rigidly hold the members 17 and 18 in the downwardly and outwardly sloping positions illustrated in FIGURE 2.

My frame 12 desirably measures 21" long and 21" wide, and the members 17 and 18 are desirably formed so that the cross or connecting portion 32 of one U-shaped member 17 corresponds with the inside dimension of the Patented Feb. 14, 1967 frame, while the cross or connecting .portion 32 of the other U-shaped member 18 corresponds with the Outside dimension thereof, so that said members may fold into interleaved relationship, as shown most clearly in FIG- URE 3. These U-shaped members 17 and 18 are desirably about 15% long below the center of their rivet holes, so that when positioned, as viewed in FIGURE 2, they hold the frame with its top surface about the same distance off the ground or floor. To effect this result, the lugs 24 should have their free ends lie about 78" from or below the center of the rivet holes in the members 17 and 18, on the member 17 be bent out beyond the outer edges of their arms about while on the member 18 they are bent in to about the same extent.

Having now described my invention in detail in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes, those skilled in this art will have no difiiculty in making changes or modifications in the individual parts or their relative assembly in order to meet specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A mortar box stand comprising a generally rectangular frame adapted to be horizontally disposed, measuring about 21" long by 21" wide, formed of metal strips, a U-shaped metal strip member at each of opposite ends of said frame, each member comprising arms extending in the same direction from opposite ends of a connecting portion, A1" metal rivets pivoting the free end portions of said arms to opposite side members of said frame, so that said U-shaped members are swingable to and from outer supporting positions from and to inner positions in close proximity to the frame, adapting the stand for convenient carriage when the U-shaped members are in said inner positions, and. lugs slit from said arms and adapted to engage the frame at the extreme outer supporting positions for limiting swinging of said U-shaped members outwardly beyond desired supporting positions, the connecting portion of one U-shaped member corresponds with the outside dimension of the frame while the connecting portion of the other U-shaped member corresponds with the inside dimension thereof, so that the arms of said U-shaped members may fold into interleaved relationship with the frame and one another, said U-shaped members having their arms about 15%" long below the axes of said rivets whereby, when in supporting position, said U-shaped members hold the frame with its top surface about the same distance off the ground, the lugs on the first-mentioned U-shaped member being bent toward one another, those on the other U-shaped member being bent away from one another, and each having its free end lying about /8 from the corresponding rivet axis and bent beyond the outer edge of the carrying arm about 2. A mortar box stand comprising a generally rectangular metal strip frame adapted to be horizontally disposed, a U-shaped metal strip member at each of the opposite ends, each member comprising arms extending in the same direction from opposite ends of a connecting portion, means pivoting the free end portions of said arms to opposite side members of said frame, so that said U- shaped members are swingable to and from outer supporting positions from and to inner positions in close proximity to the frame, adapting the stand for convenient carriage when the U-shaped members are in said inner positions, and means integral with, and limiting swinging of, said U-shaped members outwardly beyond desired supporting positions, wherein the arms of one U-shaped member straddle the frame and are pivotally connected thereto on the exterior thereof, while the arms of the other U-shaped member lie interiorly of said frame and are pivotally connected thereto on the interior thereof, whereby said arms may fold into interleaved relationship with the frame and with one another, the means integral with, and limiting swinging of, said U-shaped members on the arms of the first mentioned U-shaped member being inwardly, and the means on the arms of the other U-shaped member being outwardly, of said members.

3. A mortar box stand comprising a generally rectangular metal strip frame adapted to be horizontally disposed, a U-shaped metal strip member at each of the opposite ends, each member comprising arms extending in the same direction from opposite ends of a connecting portion, means pivoting the free end portions of said arms to opposite side members of said frame, so that said U- shaped members are swingable to and from outer supporting positions from and to inner positions in close proximity to the frame, adapting the stand for convenient carriage when the U-shaped members are in said inner positions, and means integral with, and limiting swinging of, said U-shaped members outwardly beyond desired supporting positions, wherein the arms of one U-shaped member straddle the frame and are pivotally connected thereto on the exterior thereof, while the arms of the other U-sha-ped member lie interiorly of said frame and are pivotally connected thereto on the interior thereof, whereby said arms may fold into interleaved relationship with the frame and with one another, and the means integral with, and limiting swinging of, said U-shaped members are lugs slit from said arms and adapted to engage the frame at the extreme outer supporting positions, those lugs on the arms of the first mentioned U-sh-aped member being slit inwardly and those lugs on the arms of the other U-shaped member being slit outwardly, of said members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,506,206 8/1924 Voss 248 1,560,007 11/1925 Weston 248-150 2,003,241 5/ 1935 Brown 248-439 2,554,616 5/1951 Daily 248-150 X FOREIGN PATENTS 298,362 11/1928 Great Britain.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner.

W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Eggamirzer, 

1. A MORTAR BOX STAND COMPRISING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR FRAME ADAPTED TO BE HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED, MEASURING ABOUT 21" LONG BY 21" WIDE, FORMED OF METAL STRIPS, A U-SHAPED METAL STRIP MEMBER AT EACH OF OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID FRAME, EACH MEMBER COMPRISING ARMS EXTENDING IN THE SAME DIRECTION FROM OPPOSITE ENDS OF A CONNECTING PORTION, 1/4" METAL RIVETS PIVOTING THE FREE END PORTIONS OF SAID ARMS TO OPPOSITE SIDE MEMBERS OF SAID FRAME, SO THAT SAID U-SHAPED MEMBERS ARE SWINGABLE TO AND FROM OUTER SUPPORTING POSITIONS FROM AND TO INNER POSITIONS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE FRAME, ADAPTING THE STAND FOR CONVENIENT CARRIAGE WHEN THE U-SHAPED MEMBERS ARE IN SAID INNER POSITIONS, AND LUGS SLIT FROM SAID ARMS AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE FRAME AT THE EXTREME OUTER SUPPORTING POSITIONS FOR LIMITING SWINGING OF SAID U-SHAPED MEMBERS OUTWARDLY BEYOND DESIRED SUPPORTING POSITIONS, THE CONNECTING PORTION OF ONE U-SHAPED MEMBER CORRESPONDS WITH THE OUTSIDE DIMENSION OF THE FRAME WHILE THE CONNECTING PORTION OF THE OTHER U-SHAPED MEMBER CORRESPONDS WITH THE INSIDE DIMENSION THEREOF, SO THAT THE ARMS OF SAID U-SHAPED MEMBERS MAY FOLD INTO INTERLEAVED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FRAME AND ONE ANOTHER, SAID U-SHAPED MEMBERS HAVING THEIR ARMS ABOUT 15 3/4" LONG BELOW THE AXES OF SAID RIVETS WHEREBY, WHEN IN SUPPORTING POSITION, SAID U-SHAPED MEMBERS HOLD THE FRAME WITH ITS TOP SURFACE ABOUT THE SAME DISTANCE OFF THE GROUND, THE LUGS ON THE FIRST-MENTIONED U-SHAPED MEMBER BEING BENT TOWARD ONE ANOTHER, THOSE ON THE OTHER U-SHAPED MEMBER BEING BENT AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER, AND EACH HAVING ITS FREE END LYING ABOUT 3/8" FROM THE CORRESPONDING RIVET AXIS AND BENT BEYOND THE OUTER EDGE OF THE CARRYING ARM ABOUT 3/8". 